Gen Y on the Job

A new snapshot of Gen Y workers by PayScale reveals quite a bit. We’ve all seen the movie Failure to Launch and know someone just like that—the slacker who is still living at home. But
are they really slackers? Possibly, they’re just under-recognized achievers. PayScale's recent research shows the latter is much closer to the
truth. Gen Y tends to be very ambitious
and highly educated. In fact, almost 97% of them have at least an Associates
degree. Gen Y individuals with MBAs outnumber those with no higher education.
Not only that, they tend to focus on ambitious majors like Neuroscience,
Bioengineering, Entrepreneurial Studies, Chinese and Sports Management.
Slackers? Not exactly.

How can your company attract this star talent? First, you
have to understand them a bit better. They’re not your typical 9-5ers. They
come in later and stay later too and don’t be surprised if they show up for
work in skinny jeans with iPad in hand. Does your company culture accommodate casual workers?

They go for trendier cities too. Washington, D.C., New York,
NY, and Boston, MA top the list. This is great for you if your company is
located in one of those cities, but what if you’re not? Have you thought about ways to compete with
these hip cities?

Know what other companies are paying them, by age, years of
experience, degree and specialization. For example, the typical starting salary
for a Bioengineering major is $60,400, but a Chinese major typically starts at
$38,900. Learn more about the talented Y generation here.